And the ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven months.
Parallel translations
- WEB Yahweh’s ark was in the country of the Philistines seven months.
- BSB When the ark of the LORD had been in the land of the Philistines seven months,
- NKJV Now the ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines seven months.
- NASB Now the ark of the Lord had been in the territory of the Philistines for seven months.
- NLT The Ark of the Lord remained in Philistine territory seven months in all.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The ark remains in Philistine territory seven months. God's hand of judgment continued throughout this period until the Philistines sought to return it.
Overview
The narrator notes the duration of the ark's captivity among the Philistines. Throughout these months the plagues pressed the Philistines toward releasing the ark. The detail marks the transition from judgment in Philistia to the ark's return to Israel.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Ps 78:61And delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into the enemy’s hand.
- 1 Sam 5:10–11Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And it came to pass, as the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out, saying, They have brought about the ark of the God of Israel to us, to slay us and our people.
- 1 Sam 5:3And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the LORD. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again.
- 1 Sam 5:1And the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it from Ebenezer unto Ashdod.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The rise of the anointed king after Israel's failed first choice points to the true Anointed One (Messiah means 'anointed'), the shepherd-king after God's own heart from Bethlehem.
How 1 Samuel 6:1 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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